The Hoppers Blog

A minor hurricane, storm force winds and a few overblown trees do not stop intrepid valuer Brian Carlisle, from his mission to seek out and market the best properties in the Yorkshire Dales. This minor obstacle was on the back roads of Coverdale on Monday 23 May. Brians trip was well worth the risk. Check out the details of Little Swineside on the attached link. http://brochures.jupix.co.uk/view_particulars.php?checksum=MjEwNzc2fmFkMTNh

Congratulations to Sam Blackburn a student from Wensleydale School & The Wensleydale Round Table for completing their bike ride from Morecambe to Whitby on the 7th May. Sam has been raising funds for the Orphanage in Amala, India. This is a project Wensleydale school have supported for many years, the school students get involved in fundraising which goes towards helping build the school, provide equipment and basic teaching materials before travelling to India and getting involved in Amala school projects. Wensleydale Round Table supported Sam’s bike ride raising money for The Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Mum, Jenny & The Ladies Circle formed the back up team. Thank you to all our customers at our Auction of household goods & antiques in the Market Hall, Hawes for their generous contributions, and to all those who contributed when the riders call in at our Leyburn office for lunch etc before setting off again to Whitby Liz c

At J R HOPPER & Co we insist on the highest standards and support for our team.We would like to Congratulations to Elizabeth Guy MNAEA, for passing the NAEA exams and becoming a full Member of the National Association Of Estate Agents. We would like to congratulate Stella Dinsdale MNAEA.MARLA & Laura Bainbridge MARLA for passing the ARLA exams and becoming full Members of the Association of Residential Letting Agents. This is a fantastic achievement by all 3 of them well done Liz C.

You cannot fail to have noticed the snowdrops heralding the arrival of the bulb flowers and the promise of warmer days. There is never a bad time to visit the Yorkshire Dales but, when the lambs are in the fields, the grass is turning greener and all the walks become more accessible, Spring is memorably beautiful (of course, we still have occasional grey days, snow and gusty winds but they are all part of the charm – log fires, good beer & lazy hours reading are always an option!) At J R Hopper & Co we have had an optimistic start to 2011 with a promising number of people looking to buy in the area and some enticing properties coming on the market. There is something to suit all pockets and requirements, from tiny cosy cottages, practical family homes and lovely country farmhouses. If you want to be living “the good life” in a rural idyll, a cottage in a village or to be in the heart of a bustling market town, we are sure to have a home to suit. Please email or telephone for any information and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Happy New Year to all. We would like to wish Chris Carlisle & Samantha Herron good luck in their new home, and congratulate Chris on his new job. Sam will be looking after our out of hours support, so that we can extend our excellent customer service. We are looking forward to a brisk new year with 6 new properties on the market and 2 sales agreed already and it is only January the 5th Despite the weather we have had a busy holiday season.

We’ve had some wonderful weather and some fantastic viewings over the last couple of weeks. The roads are now all open, and the views around the Dales are amazing. The snow hasn’t put off buyers and business is brisk. We agreed 15 sales in November! We’ll put some photos up soon for you to look at.

We have decorated our offices in festive style and would welcome you popping in to see us – the kettle is never far from boiling – we may even rustle a biscuit or mince pie! Locally there is always a lot going on, with carol singing, busy churches & markets and all the entertaining around Christmas time. It’s tempting on dark, chilly nights to settle in front of the fire with the telly but we have such a wealth of talents in the Dale, it seems a shame to miss them. See the local press for pantos, Father Christmas, concerts and services. With all this snow making travelling more difficult, perhaps we should think to support our local shops with our shopping – there are some beautiful things to suit most tastes, ages and budgets in our market towns & villages. Hope to see you in the near future. Merry Christmas From All at Hoppers

We’ve got lots (and lots) of snow with us at the moment. The December Auction Sale has been postponed, we will endeavour to re-arrange the date but it may not be until the new year now. Keep checking our Auction page for any more news. Estate Agency wise, a lot of our properties are remote and currently inaccessible. If you have arranged an appointment with us and you are unsure whether you (or us) will be able to safely make the appointment. Please phone us to check.

Our very own Elizabeth Guy, with our good friend Pat Kirkbride, have had their cookery book published (I know I’m a little late with the news – it’s been out nearly three weeks!). It’s choc-full of delicious recipies.Click here to find out more, and grab your very own copy!

We would just like to say a thank you to those who helped us raise £92 on Tuesday, by popping in to have some tea and cakes with us in our Hawes & Settle offices; over 80 people showed their support! Anyone who couldn’t make it on Tuesday, please come and see us in Leyburn tomorrow morning!

We are holding a coffee morning, in our Leyburn Office, on Friday 8th October, from 10am onwards. We are raising money for the Estate Agency Foundation, who are dedicated to helping eliminate the causes of homelessness. They bring together the whole Estate Agency Industry to contribute to a major issue faced by all communities in the UK. This is a charity we love to support and we hope you’ll come along for some coffee (and yummy cakes!) to help us raise some money and have a bit of a chat!